Background: With the global population growth of older people, health care needs nurses interested in caring for this population. Studies have found a relationship between attitudes toward older people and career choices.

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the effect first clinical experiences had on nursing students’ attitudes toward older people.

Design/method: Using an observational research design, first-semester nursing students (n = 53) from the United States were assigned to one of two groups based on sequencing of clinical assignments. Participants completed the Refined Aging Semantic Differential scale three times their first semester.

Results: Students with exposure to long-term and then the acute care setting showed linear improvement in their attitudes toward older people. In addition, a significant improvement in attitudes over time was found (F[2, 96] = 3.56, p = .032) at two time measurements.

Conclusion: This study showed that novice students may not recognize the differences in acute and long-term nursing care. Results may assist nursing educators designing curricula.